The Datsun Truck line began in April of 1934 with the Model Thirteen. The datsun 521 was the improved version of the datsun 520. The datsun 521 was considered to have the style of a flat deck truck. This meant that it had a flattened bonnet, front fenders, and a new and improved grille design. The Nissan J engines were utilized in the datsun 521, later the NIssan L16, but always maintained a straight rear axle.

The datsun 521 was the very first compact half-ton pickup truck that sold in the American Market,196 was produced from 1965 through 1972. The model years of the datsun 521 range from 1966 through 1972, and were also called the datsun 1300. The datsun 521 was assembled by Nissan, Shatai, Hiratsuka, and Kanagawa in Japan. The three body styles available were the two door pickup, the two door double cap pickup, and three door panel van. The layout of the datsun 521 consisted of the engine location in the front, and it was rear wheel drive.